There is increasing interest in foodstuffs having a reduced caloric content, and especially in low-calorie, baked goods. Such baked goods are desirable for reducing body weight in persons who are obese, without using appetite suppressants, and also for preventing unwanted weight gain in normal persons. One approach to reducing the caloric value of baked goods has been to replace part of the flour or other carbohydrate components (e.g., sugar or starch) with agents which are substantially non-digestable, and hence low in calories. For example, various forms of purified plant cellulose, such as alpha-cellulose sold under the tradename "Solka-Floc," and microcrysatlline cellulose sold under the tradename "Avicel," have been proposed as partial flour substitutes.
When these conventional cellulose materials are used as a bulking agent in a food recipe, the final food product is not smooth, has a gritty mouthfeel when chewed, gives the impression of the presence of an additional insoluble or residual substance, and tends to accumulate in the mouth. Soluble cellulose derivatives has also been used as bulking agents but tend to form unpalatable, gummy masses in the mouth. It is generally agreed, however, that calorie reduction of as high as 33% to 75% in baked goods is extremely desirable, and heretofore it has not been possible to achieve these calorie reduction levels by the use of cellulosic flour replacement alone to produce a high quality product.
Pineapple core, the starting material for the low-calorie bulking agent of this invention, has generally been considered as a waste material. Pineapple core is currently recombined with the shells or husks of the pineapple and used as cattle feed. Japanese Early-Disclosure Patent No. 130953/1977 entitled Starchy Foods discloses the addition of pineapple pulp to baked cakes, breads or noodles. The addition of pineapple pulp serves to raise the level of fiber in the resulting foodstuff. There is a need in the food art for the production of a low-calorie bulking agent from pineapple core which is substantially flavorless and colorless and which could be used as a partial replacement for high-caloric constituents.